SOC Walk report – 19 April 2013, Chiltern Scarp.
Getting to this walk was a close run thing with work nearly managing to put the kybosh on my plans; I had a meeting in Northampton first thing and only just made it to the start of the walk in time (still in a work suit). However it was not all bad, as when I told my boss I was going to take the afternoon off and go for a walk with some friends, he said that was fine but not to put in a holiday request 😀 . Walking properly dressed with friends is always good, but doing it “on the clock” and being paid just puts an extra gloss on things for me.
The walk was at the Chiltern Scarp, near to point where the M40 cuts through the last of the Chiltern Hills. Being just a few miles from home, this is an area I know fairly well and I have brought Taz here many times. This is one of the few SOC walks that does not start and finish at a pub. The group assembles, records arrivals and has a briefing in the pub before moving cars to the start, a short distance away. As soon as I had logged in (late) with the walk leader, I moved to the start and changed out of work clothes into my wrap, a polo shirt and walking boots. I also reorganised my odds and ends (drinks, lunch, camera and a waterproof poncho) into a small shoulder bag to save me carrying them.
By the time I’d re-organised myself, the rest of the group had arrived and was ready to head off along The Ridgeway. The weather was OK, not particularly warm or bright, but well into my comfort zone and I anticipated getting around four hours of naked walking by the time we returned to the start.
The walk starts with a short stretch along The Ridgeway, before turning off to climb the side of the scarp. This is not a particularly steep climb, at least not by the path that we took, but still had a few walkers starting to puff and get warm before we reached the top. I had shed my clothes as soon as we turned off The Ridgeway, as had a couple of others, but some walkers were still clothed as we headed uphill. A few of them stopped and disrobed as we climbed.
(Click on images for a larger view)
Part way up, we passed the first station on the talking trail. These information points play a recorded message when the handle is cranked hard enough to generate the necessary power. I guess kids might like them, but have to confess that I prefer old fashioned information boards that I can photograph and save for posterity.
At the top, the views looking west are spectacular on a good day. We had a little haze and the views suffered as a result, but were still worth a look. I headed briefly away from the group at this point to log a geocache that was hidden a couple of months ago overlooking the motorway. It was a fairly quick find and once done I headed off to find the rest of the group passing this as I went (no, I don’t know what it is either!)
I caught up with the rest of the group after about half a mile; they were looking at another of the talking trail stops and the nearby carvings. There was a small group of students from a media studies course taking pictures and film of the group on this walk (as on the last one) and it soon became apparent that their course does not include map reading skills as the two who had set off in a car to get in front of us had failed, leaving the last remaining student to try and get all the pictures she could until such time as they could find us again*.
The path we were now on is well served with wooden benches, apparently made (and cared for?) by inmates from the nearby prison. I guess making benches is a change from sewing mail sacks
The path soon reached a minor road. This one only goes to a very small car park, but carries a remarkable amount of traffic on it for a road that goes nowhere. Here we dressed (well, covered up) to stay in line with SOC policy of being non-confrontational. It’s probably a good idea as this road seems to have more than its share of police patrols, apparently due to the rather dodgy reputation of the car park as a spot for selling illicit substances.
After about a quarter of a mile a foot path took us away into the woods and I was quickly back in my preferred mode of dress. The path is not a long one and soon reaches another, busier road (this one crosses the motorway on a bridge, hence the traffic). Most of the walkers followed the leader down to the road where they had to cover up to continue, however I decided to walk along the top of the embankment, in the tree cover and was able to stay naked until we needed to cross the bridge. The walk leader made a note of the alternative route for next year, another little tweak to the route 😀
As we approached the bridge I realised that there was an earth cache there. Consequently I took a few pictures so that I could log it later. Earth caches are different from most other caches in that there is usually no physical cache to find. Instead the cacher has to answer a few questions in an email to the cache owner to prove that he has visited (there may be a photo requirement as well) and also demonstrate that he has learned a little geology in the process. This one was about the chalk layers visible in the sides of the motorway cutting and I now know a little more about flint than I did a few days ago.
After crossing the motorway we headed away from the road again on a footpath where we met a cyclist out laying markers for an upcoming trail ride. She was a little surprised by the unconventionally dressed walking group, but stopped for a brief chat and did not seem at all put out by our presence. I suspect trying the walk naked the following day would have been a pain; mountain bikes are harder to avoid than most other path users being both fast and (more or less) silent.
It was soon time to stop for lunch. At this point most of those who had been naked dressed rather than get cold while sitting around. It was not a particularly warm day with an air temperature of about 12C (54F), however, I was comfortable and stayed as I was, part of a small minority.
After lunch, the route took us past a rather grand house (owned by one Mrs Getty… Pennies not much of an issue, as a private cricket ground and an opera house in the grounds clearly demonstrate). There were also some rather impressive garden features, including this statue.
The walk along the lanes and back to the woods at the top of the scarp was enjoyable and uneventful. I and a couple of others stayed naked, while most of the group were dressed to at least some degree. I had hoped that I might be able to shoot off for another geocache that is a few hundred feet off the route, but I was not sufficiently certain of the route at that point to risk losing the group. There was one “time to cover up” signal passed back on this stretch, but it turned out to be a false alarm, the offending textiles were the two members of the film crew who had gone missing earlier.
After another short road section we began our descent of the scarp along a well-used bridleway. At least the path looks well used; we did not actually see anyone else using it.
Continued in Part 2.
It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
Continued from part 1.
Once we got to the bottom of the scarp and turned back towards the cars we reached a small clearing where we stopped for tea and watched the red kites cruising overhead. This is the area where these magnificent birds were first reintroduced to England and they have done well. In fact the locals now pay them almost no attention; they are so common that I’m more likely to point out a sparrow than a kite. For those who do not live in the area though they are still a novelty and we can all appreciate their beauty and poise as they ride the air currents with just a gentle flexing of their wing tips and tails to guide them.
The tea stop.
The path here runs parallel to The Ridgeway, but is less well used, probably because it includes an innocent looking climb up the scarp. It may look innocent, but it gets slowly steeper as it climbs and by the time we reached the top the group had split out into regular walkers and those who found themselves wheezing a little more than they wanted to.
The climb was warm enough that one of our students had to stop to remove clothing, sadly only a sweater 🙁
The climb is worth the effort though, as the top provides some spectacular views over the Thames Valley. Sadly it was not as clear as it might have been, but the picture gives an idea of the views. (Brits may recognise Didcot Power Station in the middle distance). The Juniper growing on this scarp makes it an unusual landscape in the UK and is the reason that this is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as well as being a National Nature Reserve.
Almost as soon as we reached the top, it was time to begin the final descent to the cars. As is often the case, this was the point that the sun came out.
Once back at the cars it was time to dress and say my goodbyes; I had an appointment with a paint brush at home 🙁 and knew that I’d be shot if I did not get the job done. In total though I’d spend almost four and a quarter hours happily naked in good company and walked around 9.4 miles. Not bad, especially when I was being paid for it too.
Have fun,
Ian.
* The film will be part of the student’s final project, it will be seen by them and other students on their course and their tutors. Should it be judged one of the best ones it will also be shown at a larger presentation / awards event to students and interested parties from around the UK. It is unlikely to get any airing beyond that, but you never know…
It's never too late to have a happy childhood.